Consumer Attitudes & Behavior

Although summer vacations have just begun for many schoolchildren, parents already have back-to-school shopping on their minds.

Los Angeles – It may be hard to believe, but many members of the ballyhooed millennial generation (defined by the U.S. Census as born between 1982 and 2000) are now moms. To reach millennial moms, new data released by beacon proximity platform inMarket suggests retailers should use beacon and proximity-based engagement platforms.

Framingham, Mass. – There are a lot of things parents look for when doing back-to-school shopping, but as Randy Newman once sang, it’s money that matters.

A new online survey of parents of children ages 8-18, commissioned by Staples and conducted by Harris Poll, finds that price is the top consideration for 86% of these parents when buying school supplies.   

Highlights of Staples 2015’ Back-to-School Parents Survey include:

New research from global marketer Epsilon sheds fresh insight on how to influence shoppers on an increasingly convoluted path to purchase.

The firm surveyed 2,800 consumers for its “The Digital Shopping Tool Impact Study 2015” which examined how people are shopping, what’s guiding their purchasing decisions and what tools they are using before, during and after purchase. The research revealed a noticeable shift towards mobile and social digital tools that is changing the very nature of the shopping process.

Dallas – A retailer’s social media activity has a greater impact on shoppers than the company’s website.

That’s one of the findings of the Digital Shopping Tool Impact Study 2015 from marketing technology provider Epsilon. The platform shoppers cite as most influential to their shopping decisions is Facebook, although Pinterest and Google+ are strong contenders.  

Washington, D.C. -- The National Retail Federation upped its criticism of President Obama’s proposal to extend overtime pay, saying it would turn “professionals into clock-watchers.”

Having passed the calendar’s mid-point, we thought it would be interesting to take a look at the top 10 most-viewed stories of the year (to date) on Chainstoreage.com.

Click here.

Staples is coming to the rescue of consumers with long school supply lists by creating an inventive new way to attract these shoppers.

The retailer has created a panel of experts called the Back to School Council to offer advice to teachers, parents and students on how to get prepared for the next school year.

From the latest products and technology to cost-saving deals and easy ways to get ready for the school year, the council will offer up advice through their blogs and social media channels.

The experts are: